Anthology of Kisses
by Sasukeluva 4eva
Summary: Because the signs of love can be interpreted in various ways of kissing. Ratings will invariably change. Sasuke-x-Sakura—as well as a few other pairings. Please Read and Review! Drabble#2-Kiss On The Cheek.
1. On The Stomach

**Author's Note: **_Yet another drabble series, this time centring around kisses and what each kiss individually represents. I will mostly be using Sasuke and Sakura as the feature couple, but there shall be other pairings as well; the typical Naruto-x-Hinata/Neji-x-Tenten/Shikamaru-x-Ino, as well as a few more… odd pairings. :3_

_Do stick around for the reveal! ;D_

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><p><strong>Prompts: <strong>Sexy songs on YouTube; Visual Kei Songs; Sadie *heart*; Kiss Memes… And the celebration of my **t** **w o. y e a r s** on Fanfiction! :D

**Categories: **Vary from Romance to _Angst_/_**Tragedy**_.

**Summary:** Because the _signs of love_ can be interpreted in **various ways** of _**kissing**_. Ratings will invariably change. Sasuke-x-Sakura—as well as a few other pairings.

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><p><strong>S<strong>a_s_**u**k_e_**l**u_v_**a** 4_e_**v**a _p_**r**e_s_**e**n_t_**s;**

_**Anthology of Kisses**_

**D**rabble_#1_**—**** Kiss On The Stomach**_—"Let's Have Sex."_

**Rating:**_ M for explicit content!_

**Pairing: **Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura

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><p>The touch of lips was faint, like the brush of a feather over naked flesh, tickling her senses as she looked up—or rather <em>down<em> as the case may be—from her overly clichéd romance novel (regardless of how cheesy it was, the sex _within_ the content was a timeless classic in the pinkette's opinion, and definitely worth rereading) to see her boyfriend of six years eyeing her expectantly, lips still firmly planted against the warm skin of her navel.

Raising a thinned pink eyebrow in vague annoyance at the untimely interruption, the young woman of twenty-two simply cast him a cursory glance with her peripherals, before returning her weary emerald orbs to the fine print of her book—too tired to put up with her lover's mundane attentions.

She was certainly not in the mood to put up with his foolishness, although most of the time it was _her_ being held at a distance from his warmth; today just happened to be one of those coincidental off-days where Sakura couldn't give a flying fuck whether or not he wanted to be cuddly with her (although her Inner _swooned_ at the very notion of _Uchiha Sasuke_ ever treating her in such a soft-hearted manner), and just wanted to lie alone in her cosy bed, sipping hot chocolate and flicking through hot porno novels.

Simply because she could.

It wasn't like she was getting any from her man lately, anyhow, thanks to the fact that he had been 'too irritable' to even _bother_ wasting her time on seducing; from all of the hours he had been taking at the office lately, she wasn't surprised to be quite honest.

Transferring from on-field homicide work to corporate had been a difficult transition for the both of them, mostly because Sasuke had loved his previous job more than anything else (but a previous injury in one of his biggest cases led to him being discharged from his services, and left to find employment elsewhere, in another line of work), and Sakura had to adjust to his new hectic schedule as the CEO of Mangekyo Enterprises (popular for its distinct involvement in legal weapons production and distribution).

The rosette hardly ever saw the twenty-four year old anymore, and quite frankly, she was more than a little exasperated with his lack of time for her.

Thus, she stubbornly refused to meet his gaze and enquire as to why he was suddenly feeling the perverse need to kiss her bare, flat stomach, instead focusing her attentions intently on the next passage of her book, which detailed the sexual endeavours—alongside the inevitable conundrum that the main female lead was presented with, being married and all—of a bound woman with a younger, impassionate man seeking redemption for his 'wicked' past deeds.

Oh Gods how her temperature rose in arousal when she imagined those calloused, sinful hands trailing sinuously over her bare, sinewy flesh—

Another kiss, painfully accurate in its placing and precision, was pressed against the side of her stomach, across one of the abdominal muscles near the hem of her cotton shorts, prolonged and drawn out to purposely tear the pinkette's surprised gaze once again away from her novel, to the smug pools of charcoal that were aligned excruciatingly close to a place that had not been ventured by another's hands but hers in months.

What on earth was he up to?

"Sasuke, for the love of all that is sacred and good, _leave me in peace_, for Christ's sake! I'm _not_ in the mood for your _idiocy_!" Sakura snapped icily, sending a glare in warning of her impending wrath were he a fool enough to continue onward in his general direction, before steering her gaze for the second time back to her book.

Honestly, what had him so bloody… _impish_?

Rolling her eyes—assuming that it was another phase of late adolescent man-puberty taking over his usually numbed outer posture—Sakura returned to reading, the following actions of the starring male lead enough to have her anger dissipate momentarily, her focus now solely trained on the passages that ensued in the aftermath.

_His hands, oh Lord his hands! _

_Trailing ever lower, seeking refuge from the frigid cold of the desert night, they buried themselves between her lovely thighs, radiating an urgent heat that desperately needed to be quelled. And quelled it would be. _

_The sticky nectar that had blistered to life now bubbled forth, smearing across the naked flesh of her buttocks and staining the sheets beneath her with translucent essence—the representation of her want of him. _

_The want of his turgid sheath burying itself between the petal of her folds; the want to be fulfilled and satisfied beyond all feasible reckoning. _

_His wolfish smile glowed in the darkness of the night, highlighting his bronzed complexion, those crystal clear amber eyes and that thick mane of luscious ivory that entwined itself around his head until it seemed like he was an angel—one that offered the darkest sins and temptations. _

_But then, he would be the Devil's Child, wouldn't he? _

_A gasp sounded from her parted lips as his roaming lips pressed further, working from her voluptuous curves, down her flat middle, tongue dipping into the crevice of flesh that was her navel, before trailing further down, down, down until his lips were pressed provocatively against her—_

Yet another soft kiss was placed onto Sakura's flushed skin, this time upon the area just beneath her bellybutton, borderline her pubic bone but not quite touching there, tearing a surprised gasp from her own mouth. Placing her book down upon her chest, eyes startled from the unexpected contact on such an intimate region, Sakura ripped her attentions southward, to where she was met with the grand sight of a _very_ naked Sasuke, wearing nothing _but_ his own 'wolfish' smirk as he removed his lingering—and very much so preoccupied—mouth from her hot skin, piercing gaze matching her own as he revelled in the spotlight she had finally given him.

Which had Sakura questioning _how_ and _when_ he had removed his clothing without alerting her attentions (no matter how deeply she became in the affairs of the characters in her smut novels, she was _always_ alert for the _slightest_ of changes; only pertaining to his ninja-like stealth having done so without letting her know it had happened until it had already become so).

Not that she really cared; as long as she had such a fantastic view (of those gorgeous, endlessly _long_ legs of his, his pale and smooth naked flesh, toned abdominals/pectorals, a nice lean stomach, lined with rippling muscles that twitched with the smallest of movements from him, his ripped arms and corded back, that ethereally gorgeous face of his, and of course that throbbing shaft stiff with want and discoloured to attest to that), she didn't really give a shit.

Nobody would need to, had they been the ones' on the receiving end of this rather pleasant surprise.

Eyes still enlarged, Sakura stared unflinchingly, gaping like a fish deprived, starved of, water and oxygen.

This was… _what_, exactly?

Another kiss to her stomach tore her from her musings, her eyes ever drawn to those delicious lips of his, which were now descending further south.

_'I think I finally understand what he wants…'_ Sakura groaned inwardly, slapping herself in a mental fit equivalent to her blatant ignorance to his intentions. He had been acting _obscurely_ all evening, since arriving home at an early hour of six (he usually rocked up after midnight, _if at all_), had the attempted kisses she had so pointedly dodged said anything in testament to that. All of his efforts to pull her to him, to press his mouth to every inch of exposed skin and brand her all over again (as he had avoiding for the past couple of months)…

Ugh, how could she have been so _naïve_?

A final, solid kiss to her toned tummy.

_Let's have sex_.

His eyes practically beseeched it of her, and who was she to disappoint?

Reaching a single hand out to him, she beckoned him forward.

"Let's have sex?"

It was a question that needed not an answer from Sasuke, who practically shot forward, suddenly towering over her petite frame in all of his naked glory, member leaking pre-cum from its small slit at the head of his penis until it rubbed off on her exposed stomach, a fire that had not been stoked in countless weeks set alight with the heated contact, her hands winding into his dark locks, only to pull him down to meet her lips in a searing kiss that had both seeing stars.

The Uchiha made short work of her offending articles of clothing, all but ripping them from her and tossing them aside into a messy pile on the tiled floor, before settling his wandering his upon her, unleashing his pent up frustrations on the slight curves of her body.

She was not a full-breasted girl like Ino or Hinata, by any means, barely passing a B-cup, but they made up for that in perkiness and elasticity; fitting perfectly in the palms of his hands as he squeezed and groped them, her small nipples pebbling against his rough palms (from labour as a late teenager in the marines corps), causing an outright devilish smirk to spread across his face.

Her hips were wide, wider than Ino's, whose slight model-like build made her compatible with the very occupation she was now employed in, but not as pronounced as Hinata's, whose were equipped especially for childbirth.

Damned genetics, only giving the pinkette a big _forehead_, and nothing else in the T&A department!

All thoughts were lost, however, when his mouth disappeared from hers, trailing wet, open mouthed kisses against her lithe stomach, trailing beyond the glistening pink curls to the jewelled prize beneath; a series of long and slow, short and fast flicks of his tongue against the outer and inner lips of her vagina, and a few harsh sucks on her clit had her fall over the edge, quick to come after her earlier stimulation from her novel's exploits.

Pleased with his work, Sasuke took no further measures of foreplay, heading straight for the trophy as he plunged his rigid length into her, grinding his teeth together as he worked his way through her taut muscles, which seemed to be adamant in forcing the intrusion out from its depths, a loud moan leaving Sakura in a breathless wisp of air as she struggled to take any of the aforementioned in, her hips aligning naturally until a comfortable position had been attained.

Eyes in the back of her skull, Sakura arched upwards, a sign of continuance; the raven haired Uchiha did so, his pelvis grinding and gyrating against hers in a painful circular motion, a groan of pleasure leaving both parties as he removed his hefty girth from her, fighting against the pull of her walls, trying to suction him back within her depths whilst also trying to force him out; a fickle function, a vagina was, not being able to decide whether the presence of its destined mate was welcome game or not.

But then, the fun would have been lost in gaining the greatest height of pleasure plausible, wouldn't it?

And that was certainly not a viable option, especially when it already felt _so fucking __**good**_.

Flipping so that Sakura was straddling his waist, Sasuke braced himself on the cushions, hands already guiding her hips in the erratic pulsations that made up their lovemaking, his rising to meet hers with every fall she made to impale herself on his length—she rode him hard, and fast, to her heart's desire, matching the frenzy that had been building within her for so long. Baited her, he had, and possessing her he was.

There was nothing in the remotest bit gentle about the way she speared herself upon his length, as was the absence of such gentleness in his movements as well; it was purely animalistic, fuelled by _animal_ wants and needs.

It was only when Sakura was bordering bliss that Sasuke ceased their movements altogether, an irritable growl exiting her lips momentarily as she glared accusingly down at him, which only brought a soft smile to his lips, illuminated by the dim glow of the lamp alongside the bed from which Sakura had been reading from a few moments prior to their heated joining.

Sasuke sat, shifting jerkily until he was resting back-to-headboard, hands cupping her rear and massaging the plump flesh tenderly, the caress of his feather-light touches only heightening the suspended ecstasy that she was feeling.

He was an amazing lover, without a doubt.

Brushing his nose against the hollow of Sakura's exposed neck, her short, choppy locks drenched with perspiration and sticking to her flushed skin, before he trailed soft butterfly kisses down her body, bending on an awkward, almost painful angle so he could kiss her stomach once more, his hips tilting up to meet hers with such slow precision that the rosette was almost weeping at the sensations invoked by the movement.

No longer were they being rough; he licked the wounds he had created, so to speak, his lips still lingering against her stomach until she finally came, the coil snapping within her so intense that she shook all over, legs racked with soft spasms as she plummeted back down to earth, her senses oversensitive to the coolness of the air around them, to the friction his still rocking hips caused between that aching juncture between her thighs.

He built up a secondary rhythm, slower and more deliberate, so as to preserve the sensation for as long as humanly possible, before he brought himself to a gradual climax, his fingers making quick work of her clitoris and sending the pinkette over once more, her piercing cry music to his ears as the last spurts of his hot seed spilt into her womb, his body raw with the feeling of the sexes joined so intimately.

Once their shaking had ceased, Sasuke raised Sakura off of his now flaccid cock, his long lashes sticking to his sweat-laden cheeks (eyes having drooped from exhaustion) as he stroked her womanhood fondly, rapid gasps turning ragged as one final, rough orgasm hit her, fluid seeping slowly down her thighs to mix with the rest that had been produced by their activities.

As Sakura felt herself regain some self-composure, a pair of lips sealed themselves over hers, fleetingly so, before trailing down to her stomach, one more, final kiss making itself known against the flat terrain as she melted down into his lap, his mouth smiling against her navel as she succumbed to her exhaustion, his last words imprinting faintly upon her mind as the black overtook her.

"I'm much better for your 'needs' than that book is, Sakura. Don't ever forget that."

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><p><strong>Kiss #1;<strong> Stomach= _Let's Have Sex!_

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><p><strong><span>~Owarimashita<span>**

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><p><strong>Ending Remarks: BLARG, RUSHED LEMON! DDX<br>**_LOL, Sasuke, you sexy perv you (mine forever and ever and ever and everrrrr)! XD Is that jealousy I sense in not being able to capture a woman's attention with your godly looks over a measly cheaply clichéd porno book? Guess you had to show her that you were SO MUCH BETTER than something made of pure fiction. ;D  
>Much similar to this… -_-<em>

_Anyhow, please do let me know your thoughts on this! Would ten reviews be too many to ask for? Speaking of reviews, if you leave one for any of the following stories, I will update a chapter of any story of your choosing—of course, if there are a vast majority aiming towards one in particular, then I will post two chapters up of that one instead! So please do review for:_

_**The Taken**_—Sasuke-centric Horror Fic!

_**A Brother's Love**_—Izuna Uchiha-centric!Monologue Oneshot!; One hundred words series.

_**Ga Nai Koto O**_—Short Story _© Sasukeluva 4eva_

_**His Beloved Son—**_Hatake Sakumo-centric!Monologue Oneshot!; One hundred words series.

_**The Fool—**_Lee/Naruto-centric Oneshot; one hundred words series.

_**Possibilities—**_Hatake Kakashi-centric Oneshot; one hundred words series.

_**Insomnia—**_Sesshomaru-x-Rin Fluffy Oneshot!

_Until next time then!_

_Ja ne!_

~**R**_i_n


	2. On The Cheek

**Author's Note: **_On with the second drabble chapter! Please enjoy!_

**Prompts: **_**GACKT's Sexiness**_, Kiss Memes, **BIGBANG's** _Love Song_.

**Categories: **Vary from Romance to _Angst/__**Tragedy**_

**Summary:** Because the _signs of love_ can be interpreted in **various ways** of _**kissing**_. Ratings will invariably change. Sasuke-x-Sakura—as well as a few other pairings.

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><p><strong>S<strong>a_s_**u**k_e_**l**u_v_**a** 4_e_**v**a _p_**r**e_s_**e**n_t_**s;**

_**Anthology of Kisses**_

**D**rabble_#2_**—**** Kiss On The Cheek—**_"I really like you."_

**Rating:**_ T for fluffy goodness and mild profanity._

**Pairing: **Uzumaki Naruto x Hyuuga Hinata

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><p>It wasn't what Naruto had been expecting; not in the least bit.<p>

Going out to chill with the guys on the town, yes, making trouble for the repressed masses, yes, but being _confessed_ to, by his best friend's friend from university's _cousin_?

The shy, insecure, reserved, petite and unjustly pretty Hyuuga Hinata; the perfect wallflower, and the apple in the eyes of many a man?

The one girl in all of the world that Naruto had believed would _never_ take interest in a guy like him, of a class so much lower than hers that it would be considered a heinous _crime_ for him to even throw a half-hearted side-glance from his peripherals her way.

But apparently his previous assumptions had been made too hastily; it would, in essence, be rather self-explanatory as to the nature of her frequent fainting fits whenever he was within even a _kilometre_ of her person, and would define her uncharacteristic avoidance of him of late.

Even when she was scarlet to the very tips of her ears, she still hung around him like a moth to the glow of a flickering candle, like a persistent fly that would not leave his face in peace, except that she hardly annoyed him in such a manner; in fact, half of the time he hardly noted her presence in the room, unless she was addressed by her nii-san directly, of whom would question the sudden origins of her flushed features.

Sasuke, being the bastard that he was, simply smirked, as if knowing something that none of the other males had picked up on, turning his burning gaze (filled with mirth, one might say) off to the side as he fingered the can of beer placed idly on his lap, the rings on his fingers glinting in the light produced by the overhanging lamps.

Of course, being the kind and oblivious soul that he was, Naruto welcomed Hinata with vigour, a huge grin splitting his face and seemingly amplifying the luminescence of their chosen drinking spot, blue eyes shining like sapphires as he gestured for her to join them in their festivities (earning a pointed glare from Neji; she was still a minor, thus defying the nature of their activity of getting blind drunk and pissing off the neighbours with their boisterous laughter aimed at nothing in particular); the ravenette's flushed features darkened to the point of them bordering an almost violent shade of red, avidly shaking her head from side to side in declination of his invitation, before slipping out of the room with as much grace as a blind mouse in a maze, tripping over her feet in her haste to escape the room.

The blonde had been stumped beyond all feasible reckoning ("Was it something I said?", he intoned frantically) as to the reason for her quick retreat, Sasuke's insufferable smirking drilling into the side of Naruto's head as he threw his upper half out into the hallway, calling out after the rapidly dispersing form of the young Hyuuga heiress with frenzied waving accompanying his distress.

No, at that time he had been unaware of her feelings for him; too naïve to comprehend the sheer enormity that such an implication would bring about, too airheaded to identify, to distinguish and recognise, the oh so obvious signs that she had been exuding for the past five years that he had known her.

Too much of a fool to realise that perhaps, just maybe, he had liked her just as much as she did him all along.

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><p><em><strong>Five years ago…<strong>_

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><p><em>The cheerful chirping of birds filtered through the still air, irrespective of the lack of circulation present to warrant such joy in the first place; there was no breeze to cool the already suffering townsfolk from the worst case of heatstroke in the history of Konohagakure to date. <em>

_But amidst it all, one young teen was still as energetic and hyperactive as was what was to have been expected of him. _

_The blonde boy hurtled down the deserted streets, free for his passage due to the intense heat that smothered the residing area, so thickly dense in the atmosphere that it felt as if each particle of oxygen bore its own form of volcano, and was proceeding to burst and stick to any surface that it happened to come into contact with. _

_Being the only person brainless enough to brave the heatwave, Uzumaki Naruto bolted towards an unseen destination; beaming brightly even though he was drowning in his own sweat. _

_Panting thickly, the sun-kissed blonde made haste, pausing only briefly in his tirade to pull his vibrating phone from the back pocket of his ripped jeans, his scuffed high-tops thundering against the pavement as he brought his iPhone to his ear, having accepted the incoming call, listed under the name of 'The Teme'. _

_"Moshi-moshi, Bastard!" A disgruntled, monosyllabic grunt sounded in response to the crude nickname, a sign of his best friend's annoyance, before he cut straight to the point of his call; there was no bullshitting with the teme, that was a given. _

_"Where the fuck are you? Neji's getting shitty, having to wait for your ass to get here so that we can head off to Oto for the school's third term break. Hurry the fuck up, or we're leaving here without you." With that said, Uchiha Sasuke—A.K.A. The Teme/Bastard/Asshole/Stuck-up Prick—hung up, leaving Naruto to curse his name to the very pits of Hell and beyond; even __**he**__ was dumbfounded as to how they were even friends, let alone __**the best of**__, and this was particularly evident in times like this, where he was a rude, arrogant son of a whore. _

_'Tch, at least he lives up to his nickname as a royal bastard…!' Naruto thought morbidly to himself, rolling his eyes heavenward, before refocusing his gaze when the sweat, pouring generously down his brow, slipped into his azure orbs, his bare forearm rising to wipe the salty droplets away in a gesture all too futile, as the liquid that gathered on his arms only added to the amount that had fallen into his eyes from his forehead. _

_Cursing none-too-quietly, Naruto simply allowed the sweat to keep falling, his body cutting through the thick atmosphere as he travelled down the familiar gravelly roads towards the large estate at the end of the block, its presence stark and intimidating as he closed in upon it; the sheer enormity always got to him, especially the people within (Neji's father being the most unnerving man he had ever met next to Sasuke's, who put the term 'human ice-block' to shame with his terrifying presence), but he ignored the growing discomfort in favour of arriving before the Two Bastards (yes, the nickname was dually applied to Neji, in turn, especially when they were together; Naruto could have sworn that they had been women in their past lives, PMSing and all that shizz) decided that they would live up to their threat of leaving to Otogakure without him. _

_Barging through the checkpoint without sparing a glance to the guards standing on duty, who hollered obscene expletives at Naruto's sweat-soaked back for once again skipping the standard procedure of entry into the Hyuuga compound, the blonde made his way towards the centre of the house, avoiding the hedge maze (as the last time he thought to use it as a means of cutting down the amount of time he spent trying to get to the estate—it was __**that far away**__, goddammit!—he ended up getting lost, and was found three days later curled up in foetal position, convinced that he was going to die a virgin) in favour of the long driveway leading up to the front door. _

_It was an extensive hike, but he made it, almost gasping for air (which would not come considering that it was like inhaling molten dust into his system; __**that**__ was how dry the air was around him) as he knelt over, hands on his knees, as he vainly attempted to regain his lost breath. _

_He would have to get his driver's license soon, so as to avoid such hazardous treks in future, he thought idly, mouth gapping like a fish out of water, parched of all moisture like the humidity currently suffocating the entire populace, but particularly Naruto—he had, after all, run from the run-down district of his homeland, on the very outskirts of society; where the homeless, poor and orphaned resided. _

_T__echnically speaking, he was of the poor stature, his mother having lost everything after his father passed away when he was an infant, and they had been struggling to make ends meet ever since then; before even he could remember, his mother had been working herself into an early grave, her physical condition as of today so terrible that she had to be hospitalised because of it. _

_Whilst he had financial support from the Uchiha family (as cruel as Sasuke was, he would never let his best friend suffer so much more than he already had, and his parents were more than willing to pay for the hospital fees), the blonde still had to work seven days a week, ten hours a day on school schedule (wherein he cut the last two classes in order to make it to his part-time job at the local ramen bar; Sasuke begrudgingly copied out the work so that Naruto wouldn't have to overextend himself, because although he may have been a total goof-off, he was completely dedicated and focused on and to his studies, so that he could make something of himself for his mother's sake), twenty hours on weekends, for __**both days**__. _

_His standard pay was low, but he often got raises here and there when he worked especially hard, so he was able to pay the bills while his mother was incapacitated. _

_She often cried herself to sleep in his arms, apologising for the life that she had forced him to be a part of, apologising for making him miss out on his education in favour of caring for her; in her frail state, she was unable to do so for herself, and what kind of son would he be if he didn't look after his own mother? _

_"Besides", he said to her on one of those very nights, "it's not like we asked for this to happen; life throws shit in our faces, but it's just a matter of throwing it back at life and getting on with ours as best we can." _

_She laughed and smiled amidst her sadness, and that was enough for Naruto. It was all he needed to keep on fighting for a better future, for the two of them to meet hand in hand, together. _

_Grinning to himself, Naruto brought a hand to his hair, eyes closing as he shook the blonde mop of its flattened state, the sweat having weighed it down and consequently plastering it to his skull and face; a startled squeak ripped Naruto's eyes to an abrupt open, automatically seeking out the source of the noise. _

_His eyes halted in their search, having landed upon the hem of a long cotton kimono sleeve, which was attached to a very small hand, which was—coming out of the door…? _

_'What the…?' Naruto's trail of thought dispersed almost instantaneously when a second hand extended through the open space provided by the parted dojo door, cradling a glass filled to the brim with cold water and ice, condensation having formed on the transparent surface from the exposure to the humid air outside, the other hand moving from its place on the doorframe to the glass upon which was being held out to… him? _

_Naruto looked around, scratching the back of his head whilst confusedly pointing towards himself, not sure whether this person was intending to give __**him**__ the cool beverage, or if there was another person that he had failed to take notice of beforehand who had been anticipating the kind gesture. When the hands gently urged him to take it, Naruto's expression shifted into that of completely grateful, a winning smile lifting all signs of exhaustion from his face as he strode forward, carefully taking the slickened glass into his own palms (another squeak being emitted when his tanned, sweaty skin brushed against theirs) before lifting it to his lips, downing its contents in three large gulps, ice melting on his tongue and joining the water in his bladder as he let out a loud sigh of contentment, his focus returning to the… now empty space before him? _

_When did they leave? _

_Frowning slightly at the prospect of not being given the chance to thank the stranger for their kindness (because no one in the Hyuuga Estate was even __**remotely**__ pleasant, Neji least of all), Naruto stared off into oblivion for mere moments before shrugging half-heartedly, a boisterous 'THANK YOU!' leaving his mouth as he strode inside, kicking his shoes next to those of whom he recognised as Sasuke's and Shikamaru's and placing the empty glass on the nearby counter, before he took off down the halls in search of his friends, never noticing the young girl shrouded in the shadow of the pantry, her eyes peering shyly after his retreating figure and her lips lifting ever so slightly at the corners._

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><p>"<em>You're late, Naruto." Neji stated blandly, expression blank as practised all too often in scenarios such as this; honestly, Naruto's tardiness was insufferable! Neji had trained himself to be a reasonable young man, principled, reserved but polite and courteous when need be; the blonde idiot must have been made as a trial by his father, by God, to test his reserves, how long he could endure the very things that he absolutely <em>_**abhorred**__ in others, all embodied in __**one person**__. ONE! How was that even __**possible**__, for one boy to be so… so…!_

_Naruto's sheepish laughter resounded in the large room, the plush, clean furniture and occupants completely contrasting with the blonde fool, who was marred with dirt and sweating profusely in his torn clothing; never the less, he looked genuinely apologetic, and that was something, at least._

_"Heheh, sorry Neji! I went to see kaa-san before we left for Oto, just to make sure that she'd be alright by herself. Guess it took longer than I thought it would, especially since she cried all over me, saying how much I'd grown up, how much she'd miss me, and that I should have fun; y'know, all that stuff moms' usually say!" _

_The slightly crestfallen look in Naruto's eyes, shown when he cringed, ever so slightly, at the mention of his mother being sad that he was leaving her side, was enough for a stab of guilt penetrate Neji's usually indifferent composure, so he dropped all further insults (that had been so desperate to leave his firm lips before he reigned in his base instincts in reverence to Naruto's sick mother, whom he secretly adored as well as the rest of the blonde's friends), and instead focused on passing Naruto a travel bag filled with new clothes and his favourite snacks, as well as a single wrapped parcel, the scrawl on the card's envelope indicating that it was from Neji. _

_Naruto looked genuinely surprised, touched, by the unexpected gifts, his eyes looking up to gaze into Neji's softer ones, a slight smile on his lips as he announced quietly, so only the blonde on the receiving end of his congratulations and their friends could hear his declaration._

"Happy birthday, fool."

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><p><em>After a long, cold shower in which Naruto was to get clean before their road trip, many more presents on behalf of Sasuke, Shikamaru and Lee, the blonde felt rejuvenated, and more than ready to head off into the unknown. <em>

_He felt particularly adventurous, it being his seventeenth birthday and all (being a year younger than Sasuke and Neji pissed him off, since they were already driving in their flashy brand cars whilst he and Shikamaru had yet another year to wait before then), so he was almost bouncing off walls when they began to load their luggage into the van that they were taking, on behalf of Neji's uncle, who had apparently come to visit his younger brother (Neji's father, Hizashi) and nephew, with his two daughters in turn. Neji didn't feel particularly close to the youngest of his two female relatives, since she had been born in recent years, and he hadn't met her before now, but the elder he had, on many an occasion, spoken about in awe, saying that she was the reincarnation of his dead mother, and he felt this instinctive desire to protect her from harm's way. _

_So much so, in fact, that he had even gone as far as sheltering her from any and all male contact that wasn't within the family walls, her schooling in an all-girls school a testament of this 'fondness'. _

_It had been on his insistence that she be transferred from her public middle school to a private one, and his uncle had happily obliged, trusting Neji's judgement on today's youth more than anyone else, considering the fact that he __**was**__ one himself, only substantially older. Six years, in fact, leaving the young girl a tender age of twelve; barely an adolescent, and not one for another few months, was what Neji had told them off-topic at one stage in their earlier conversations regarding her. _

_Shoving aside his ponderings, most prominent being whether or not she would be anything like Neji (cold, callous and brutally blunt; it was an image that left him traumatised—one Neji was enough, but __**another**__ one? Hell no, no way.), Naruto lifted his bag into the boot of the van, slamming the door down a little too violently in his enthusiasm as he made his way back to the house, to grab the last titbits that they would need; the prepacked meals and drinks stocked away in cooler bags the last of their necessities that needed to be put into the overly flashy, spacious van (cheap in the eyes of rich people; utter luxury for those of Naruto's standing). _

_Making his way into the house once more, Naruto shirked his shoes, leaving them in a heap at the opening of the house, stepping up onto the running of the hallway before heading in the direction of the kitchen; that's when he heard it. _

_Neji's voice, soft and kindly, seemingly soothing another individual in the room across the hall from him; the 'family lounge', as the brown haired male had so eloquently described when Naruto had come to his house for the first time, and had been asking questions incessantly in his awe. _

_Grudgingly, Neji had obliged in answering all of them with as much patience as was needed in dealing with a temperamental toddler, which was an oddly fitting scenario, at that time…_

_Curiosity spiked, Naruto made his way to the door, eye peeking through the gap in the door, only to have it seconds later yanked open, the blonde stumbling backwards in his surprise as Neji tried in vain to catch the moron from falling flat in his ass._

_It was futile; he fell anyways. Rolling his eyes at the juvenile actions of his blonde friend (spying was such a __**rude**__ activity to engage in), the Hyuuga genius simply stood there, brow raised and expression blank as he watched Naruto fumble for the appropriate response to defend himself, hands raised as if Neji were about to rip his face off; which would have ultimately been the case, had the young girl hiding behind him stepped forward, hands clinging desperately to Neji's arm and sleeve as she flushed at the sight of the boy she had given water to earlier sprawled awkwardly on the floor. _

_Cute, was Naruto's immediate thought, short, cropped dark violet hair, pale lavender irises (so like Neji's that for a second, Naruto had a miniature seizure), lean, petite build, short, and incredibly shy; her eyes were levelled at the floor, as if there was something far more interesting there for her to observe, and she appeared unsettled—the fidgety type._

_"Oi, Neji… who's the little girl?" Naruto questioned inquisitively, blue eyes following the shape of her face, noting that she couldn't have been more than ten, gaze trailing over what he could make out of her figure obscured by Neji's ever-imposing build... stopping dead at the sight of her cotton kimono sleeves. Small, cherub-like hands, dainty and delicate wrists supported by thin, wiry arms; there was no mistaking it._

"HEY! _**You're **__the one that gave me the water this morning, ne? Thanks so much for that, by the way! That was really nice of you!" Naruto exclaimed before cutting off with a wholehearted chuckle, raucous laughter settling in afterwards as Neji soaked in the implications of his words; uh oh…_

"_**Hinata**__…" The girl visibly tensed, Naruto's laughter dying on an awkward note as he watched Neji's once soft eyes turn icy as he regarded her with a bitterness unseen on his face in many, many months._

"_Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes, n-n-n-n-nii-sama?" The young girl supplied hesitantly, stuttering almost endearing had it not been invoked out of terror, and not her being embarrassed or just shy around strangers. She was mortified that the blonde had been able to identify her so easily, when she was sure that she had hidden herself out of his sights, and now that he had done so, and in front of her very scary, overprotective cousin…_

_Hell would be a nice place for her to reside in, she thought timidly to herself._

_"What is this that Naruto is speaking of?" A shudder tore down her spine at his tone._

_"I-I-I-I-I g-g-g-got h-h-him s-s-s-so-o-me w-w-wat-t-ter b-b-because h-he w-w-was d-dehy-hydrated f-f-from t-the r-run u-u-up t-the drive-wa-way! T-That's a-a-all!" Hinata stuttered uncontrollably, her two index fingers pressing tensely together as she gazed at her feet, Neji having turned to scrutinise her appearance. An awkward silence; then—_

_"Yeah! That's all it was! So chill out, Neji; get off her back! You're freaking her out with your prissy attitude!" Naruto exclaimed lightly, easing the strain in the atmosphere as Neji physically relaxed, obviously relieved at the confirmation from the blonde. Nodding in apparent contentment, the brown haired male turned to Hinata and bowed apologetically, his instincts as the inferior Hyuuga heir sinking in just as quickly as they had left him when he was questioning her._

_"I am deeply ashamed, Hinata-hime; please do forgive me for my lack of faith in your intentions—it will not happen again." Hinata shook her head timidly from side to side, ushering Neji to stand up tall as he usually did, stammering over her request as she did so; it was not in her prerogative to order someone to act on her whims, so Neji took her kindness as its own form of command, and obeyed it without question._

_Erecting himself to full height, he turned back to face Naruto, who was now on his feet, and standing gauchely in the corner as if unsure of what he was witnessing, but smiling never the less; realising his lack of etiquette, Neji cleared his throat, gently taking Hinata by the hand and leading her over to Naruto, her face bursting aflame as she stopped affront him, his winning smile warming her to the toes as he raised his left arm behind his head, scratching it in what could be called one of his traditional poses, eyes crinkled self-consciously as he chuckled at the sudden transition._

_"Heheh, well it's nice to meet you, I guess; Neji's told me all about you, his favourite little cousin! He was right about one thing; you really __**are **cute!" Hinata's face exploded with colour, her pale cheeks dark in contrast to the rest of her body as she bowed politely in his direction, murmuring a soft 'Thank you' in regard to his compliment._

_Neji glared frostily at his blonde friend, clearly displeased with his 'cheap flattery', but said nothing, taking his former promise into consideration with Hinata, before simply pressing his lips firmly together, as was his role in her life, left to merely observe the encounter with mixed feelings._

_A familiar voice called out to the two older males, informing them that everything was set for their trip; with that said, Neji voiced that they had to depart, and they made their way to the van outside, Hinata tentatively trailing behind their looming figures._

_Neji paused, cupping her cheek for a brief moment, before he hopped into their mode of transport, settling into the passenger seat alongside Sasuke, who was driving them to their first destination, Naruto heading into the back seat just behind him, before thinking better of it._

_Turning back to face the shy girl behind him, he strode over, beaming as he bent over, her eyes, already wide, bulging considerably more, when he pressed his lips to her cheek, a gesture so forward that the possibility of her fainting then and there shot through the roof._

_"You look after yourself, alright, Hina-chan?" Naruto said with a grin, laughing at the look on her face as he jumped into the van, seemingly satisfied with himself; even as they drove off, Neji severely reprimanding the blonde with threats of painful torture and a slow, bloody death, both Naruto and Hinata smiled to themselves, although for very different reasons._

_Naruto for embarrassing her beyond reckoning (he was still a child at heart, loving to torment others), and Hinata because the boy that she had been watching for over a year now, the boy that she had a slightly minor crush on, had kissed her on the cheek—as if he too liked her in return._

* * *

><p>It was weird, to say the least.<p>

That she liked him.

Naruto sighed, throwing a pebble across the surface of the stream beneath him, the city lights illuminating the bridge upon which he stood, the stone skidding over the liquid for three skips before sinking to the bottom, never to be seen again.

He was troubled, to say the least.

Twenty one, single with only the occasional girlfriend here and there, third year in remedial college to catch up on the schooling that he had missed in light of caring for his sickly mother in order to attend university with Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru and Lee…

And his best friend's other good friend's little cousin, the shy, introverted wallflower, a tender seventeen year old girl, still in high school, crushing on _him_, the insignificant pauper, a young man who had struggled into gaining a middle class social status and into curative lessons intending to help him into university?

It was weird.

But not entirely unpleasant, he thought to himself with a rueful smile.

* * *

><p>"<em>N-N-Naruto-kun…" Said man's eyes raised from the text that he had been reading, gaze lifting up in time to see little Hina-chan, in all of her fidgety glory, bend down and place a soft, fleeting kiss to his cheek, before turning and scurrying away, her last words hanging ominously in the cold, wintry air around him. <em>

_"I r-really l-like y-you!"_

* * *

><p>He saw her, standing alone on the bridge that he so often occupied, eyes distant, face almost forlorn as she gazed out at the now frozen lake below; it had been three months since he had last seen her.<p>

She had made it a point to avoid him at every turn since that fateful day, and he was sick of thinking—sick of waiting. He approached her, no hesitance in his movements as he made his way over to her trembling form.

She seemed genuinely surprised at his sudden appearance, eyes betraying her as she gasped inaudibly; or so she believed, as in the silence of the night, Naruto could hear everything.

"N-N-Naru-ru-to-k-kun! W-What b-b-brings y-y-you h-here?"

Her little nose was red from the bitter chill of the frosty winter night, eyes watery and cheeks flushed (more so from her embarrassment this time rather than the cold) as she gazed up at his tall figure, eyes slightly alarmed as he reached up, pulling the scarf from around his own neck before wrapping it gently around hers, lips pressed into a soft line that betrayed his usual cheer; it was a look of contentment, of subtle happiness as he raised a hand to cup her cheek in his hand.

A soft, simple gesture, but it made her dizzy never the less.

His hands moved to her shoulders, the soft smile melting her insides as he leant forward, eyes lidded before closing when his lips pressed firmly to her heavily flushed cheek, his mouth pulling into a wider smile as he hoped that his message got through to her.

It did.

_"I really like you too."_

* * *

><p><strong>Kiss #2<strong>—Cheek= _I really like you!_

* * *

><p><strong>~Owarimashita<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Ending Remarks:<strong> _Finished at last! I know, it sucks, and it's all over the place, but hey, at least it's something, right? And my first attempt at Naruto x Hinata (such a cute pairing)!_

_So please do review, and let me know where I need to improve!_

_Let's try for another eleven, alright? All newcomers are welcome to leave feedback as well!_

_Two other things; firstly, please review for my two new oneshots, __**Forgive Me**__ (Uchihacest) and __**The Failure**__ (Minato Introspective Fic)! I'd really love to know what you think! Secondly, do check out the poll on my profile; it regards a new story that I have panning out, and I'd really like to know what you'd like to see from it. :D_

_Until the next time I update!_

~**R**i_n_


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